Soul Requiem
by Icy Cake
Summary: A series of oneshots that are SiegfriedNightmare centric and TTaB fillers! Take your pick, enjoy them all. Rating will range from K to T and genre will vary. Seven - Sophitia's new SCIV outfit not only renders grown men helpless but children too!
1. The First Kill

A/N: Yeah, I know, I should be focusing on my current fics _instead_ of starting a new one but unfortunately as of right now I'm suffering from writer's block but I managed to come up with this short, little one-shot. ('Drabbles', some people call them.) Why? Well... It came to mind and I needed to get it out. So here is the first of the many little stories that dwell within my head. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Calibur.

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**The First Kill**

Rating: K+

_Awaken now, my child. Gather the souls I seek and my power shall fulfill your wish._

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I snapped my eyes open, obeying the command.

The pain that once coursed through my body was no more. Instead, I felt a tremendous sense of power that flowed within me. The dark energy pulsing throughout my very blood shattered the fear I had kept in my soul and destroyed the doubt I could remember. It was so incredible that I could feel it radiate from my form. _Truly magnificent_.

All previous thoughts were lost, disappeared along with the awful pain. Only a vague glimpse of memory still lingered within my mind. It did not matter though; I really didn't care what had happened because I now possessed the power I had long sought after.

I rose from where I laid, taking the very first breath of my existence. My ascent was slow from the sheer weight of the dark, lustrous armour that burdened my body. It would have been a clumsy climb to my feet as well if it weren't for my right arm's capability to lift my body so easily. A monstrous, leathered-skin, three-fingered claw had taken the form of my right arm much to my distaste.

Nonetheless, I could feel it abide to my will as I flexed each finger before making a fist. I did not know if I should be pleased by this transformation granted by the dark power of the cursed sword.

I should be appalled… but I wasn't.

I did not know how long I stood there watching, moving, and clenching that right hand of mine but soon my attention was driven off to something else: my hunger.

It was sudden. The intense hunger took over my senses and my thoughts, reminding me of my newfound duty.

The sword waited patiently beside me, its yellow eye gleaming when it felt my need. Beside the evil blade was the smoking corpse of its former master slain by my once human hands.

_Hmph_, I scoffed at the pathetic remains of the man whom all humanity had feared. I could not stop the mocking laughter that escaped my throat. A deep, raucous voice echoed within the helm I wore, booming loudly around the charred, vacant area. It was _my_ voice, one that all of man should fear because now... it is my turn to bring that fear to this world.

I ceased my wicked chortling when I heard the first sounds of human whispers and murmurs behind me. A sneer forced itself upon my hidden lips as I took in the delightful sensation of human fear coming from the fools that had been drawn to me. That brilliant display of light that I faintly remember had grasped the curiosity of some few men.

Slowly, I turned to face them. Their reactions were gratifying; many flinched and gasped in fright while some, the more cowardly ones, immediately ran when I laid my eyes on them.

My hidden sneer widened to a malicious grin. _What a perfect time to satisfy my hunger…_

With Soul Edge within my hands, I narrowed my eyes at my first victim – a trembling, dirty peasant.

The fool should feel honored for being my first kill – as _Nightmare_.

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A/N: Short... was it not? Just a little blurb I needed to write down. I'll be dumping all my little ideas for stories here from now on! Review please:-D

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	2. A Man's Pride

A/N: This can be considered a side story to_ Through Time and Back_. It was a funny little idea that came to me as I worked on the next update. It is not _really_ necessary for those who've never read it to understand what's going on except to just keep in mind that Siegfried and Link are children. And still have their memories. Truthfully, it wouldn't really fit into the actual story because Siegfried's personality is a little different. (Well... it is how it feels to me... Aha.)

This takes place after Chapter 11.

It can still be categorized as a one-shot and Siegfried centric!

Disclaimer: I do not own Nintendo or Namco.

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**A Man's Pride**

Rating: K

_A man will always care about what is most important..._

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As night fell over the vast city with its muting breath, the usually noisy metropolis receded and in place was a calm, serene capital blessed by the Gods. The evening couldn't have been a less than welcomed sight for one particular young knight as he glared in annoyance at the sudden intrusion from none other than that younger Athenian girl. 

Much was said during the day; everything was explained. Their meals were eaten and now they were satisfied with their needs. So what reason did she have the right to barge into their room? She was frank with her excuse as she crossed her arms and addressed him personally;

"When was the last time you had a bath?"

Siegfried blinked at her and unconsciously sniffed the air for any odd aroma. The room smelled no different than before making the long-haired boy raise a questioning brow at the accusing sister. "What was that?" he inquired, crossing his own arms in a defiant manner.

There was a sound of curiosity coming from the elf sitting on his bed. Blue eyes glanced between the two standing in the room as he watched with a mild interest.

Cassandra waved her hand to gesture to the room then to the older boy. "You heard me: _When_ was the last time you guys bathed?" she repeated in a more definite tone. "Because this room smells horrible. It was agonizing to sit in it all afternoon listening to your tale without gagging."

"Hmph, you didn't seem disturbed during that time," Siegfried retorted, speaking truthfully.

"That's because I was hiding it, obviously," the girl muttered, rolling her eyes. She then resumed to her previous question, "So, seriously, how long did you guys go without a decent bath?"

Siegfried huffed in annoyance for he did not feel like answering such a stupid, dumb question. The elf, however pondered noisily over it and answered;

"I'd say around… two months? No, wait, wait… Including the time before coming to this world I think it'd be… three and a half."

Cassandra's expression simply morphed into a distinguishable sign of disgust upon hearing that. She seemed to cringe and back away from the sheepishly grinning elf. "You… Ugh, that's nasty," she groaned aloud.

The older boy, on the other hand, smirked mockingly at the elf. "Hah. That's it? It's been over four years since I've seen a bath," Siegfried boasted, receiving a semi-defeated pout from the boy while a more twisted expression of disgust managed to form on the girl's face. "Hm, you could actually consider it to be five years," he added to further displease her.

She shriveled up her nose and stuck out her tongue to express her point. "_Four_ years?" she asked in disbelief, running a hand down her rounded cheek to her bottom chin.

Siegfried merely snorted and raised another eyebrow. "Almost five years to be more precise. Hmm? What's with that look? Do you sincerely think that I would care about my personal hygiene when I was Nightmare?" he tested. His words made her visibly flinch and before he knew it, an unreadable expression had masked over her previous bafflement.

The boy angrily frowned. He didn't want the girl to take what he said seriously. But seeing that look of pity settle within her eyes justified that she did.

A sudden remark from the little elf (surprisingly) reversed the effect; "That's just amazing!" the child exclaimed as if in awe. "Four years without a bath? You're the first man I've met to exceed over two years."

That made Cassandra sigh and roll her eyes in a disbelieving manner. "You _men_…" she grumbled under her breath, slowly shaking her head. Her womanly demeanor had just returned to further scold the boys for their natural uncleanliness. "Surely it would be reasonable to _society_ to bathe at least once a week."

Siegfried waved a hand at her and re-crossed his arms. "'Once a week' is a standard set for you _women_," he shot back. "We _men_ tend to not care about such stupid standards. I mean, what's the use of having to bathe once every week when you know you're going to end up covered in filth before the day's even over."

"True. True," the elf agreed with a nod and a smile. "You know, back in my world, there are some women who prefer to bathe everyday. Can you believe that?" he said, mostly addressing to Siegfried.

A sullen stare was the girl's only response for the past few seconds before she quickly shook her head and huffed. "That's it. I don't want to hear anymore of your reasons. You guys are taking a bath. Tonight. Right now."

Both boys flinched. "Hmph. We're not even covered in dirt. There's no need for one," Siegfried told her.

Her eyes narrowed and she dabbed a finger right at his face. "You're covered in grime. Just look at you!"

Siegfried briefly examined himself and shrugged. "It's sweat." Her gaze became stern. "And some dust," he continued reluctantly as he made a sweeping motion over his clothes to brush away said particles.

"And some blood," the younger boy added, scratching at one of the many cuts on his hands. Cassandra was quick to command him to stop.

The older boy shifted his feet and sighed as he eyed his own wounds. "Just a little…" He paused when he suddenly remembered something that brought a smirk to his face. "Eh, I was wrong. The last time we had a decent bath was during our plummet down the waterfall."

The elf perked from that memory and grinned. "Oh yeah! So it only has been a month," he said, glancing over at the Athenian who was now staring at them both, baffled.

"You guys nearly _drowned_! That's not taking a bath!"

"It's just like taking a bath!" the younger blond explained, highly amused by her reaction. "We were submerged in water from head to toe so it practically counts."

"It. Does. Not." Cassandra rubbed her forehead and groaned. "Falling down a waterfall… It's a miracle you guys actually survived that… But still –"

"It was fun."

"Hmph. Don't be ridiculous," Siegfried scoffed at the elf. He then returned his attention to the other. "Jumping in a river and falling down a waterfall is – although not the greatest nor most pleasant – a form of bathing since we were indeed soaked from head to toe… What? Don't give me that look."

The girl had been staring at him, questioning his sanity by the look in her eyes. She slowly blinked once before heaving a sigh. "Fine. If you want to believe that plunging down a waterfall," – she dramatically motioned with her hands – "is just like a bath then fine. But still. That was a _month_ ago. You guys are taking a bath _tonight_."

Siegfried growled in annoyance. "What gives you the right to order us around?"

She had already turned to leave and when her hand grasped the doorknob she answered with in a definite tone, "Because you both stink!" With that she pulled the inn room door open and slammed it shut with such great force that the walls seemed to vibrate. Half a second did not even pass when the door opened again and only her head appeared into view. "I'll get a maid to bring a bath to you and you both will bathe or else."

"Or else what?" the long-haired boy demanded before she could slip away.

Her soft green eyes narrowed at him as a devilish little grin plastered over her face. "Or else I'll send Sophie up here and maybe she can help you. Would you like that?"

Siegfried immediately tensed as the thought ran by him. He quickly shook his head and turned away to hide his face, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. "What?! N-No! Fine! Send a stupid bath up here!" he hissed in defeat.

He heard a satisfied smirk from the girl before the click of the closing door. Letting out an angry moan, he glared at where the persistent Athenian once stood. "It's redundant," he muttered, mostly to himself.

"Oh, but wouldn't it have been nice if Sophitia helped you out?" the elf teased, a sly grin directed at the older boy.

Fuming, Siegfried glared at him. "Shut up, Link."

The boy chuckled and waved a hand, ignoring the angry blond. "It would have been _fun_. Don't you think? You would've –" Link didn't get the chance to finish as Siegfried threw himself at him.

But since Siegfried was a fair distance away, the elf had plenty of time to react. Link rolled and jumped off his bed and sprinted to the door, laughing. He turned to face the glowering boy, his grin never fading. "I'm just joking! But I'm sure you would've love Sophitia's company, huh?"

The older boy took a step forward, annoyance clearly in his expression. "Come back here, you stupid little elf!"

"Hylian," Link corrected, rolling his eyes.

Siegfried didn't care to listen to him as he continued; "I'll show you what I consider _fun_!" With a growl he lunged forward.

Link pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and ran out the door with a taunting snicker. Siegfried stopped, not wanting to bother chasing the pesky brat in the inn. He locked the door instead and smirked amusingly to himself. That little elf would have to beg if he ever wished to come in again. With a tired sigh, the young knight crossed the room and opened the window to allow the fresh night air to cool him. He leaned against the windowsill and peered out at the street below as he waited for the maid.

"It's redundant," he quietly repeated before feeling his cheeks burn once more as he thought of what could have been.

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A/N: Link was not an idiot, he actually waited for the maid to get Siegfried to open the door. Oh, too bad for punishment... 

Thanks for reading! I'll get back to my other stories now...


	3. Lesser of Two Evils

A/N: I must apologize, I came up with another _Through Time and Back_ story situation. Well, actually, think of this as an AU to the actual story. It's a little dark than the last one and I hope you all enjoy it!

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**Lesser of Two Evils**

Rating: T

_What does it take to be a Hero?  
_

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It played out just like a nightmare… like every damn nightmare I ever had. 

They screamed. They cried. They bled. Betrayal and hurt reflected in their eyes before fear took hold of them for that one brief moment where they knew their fate had come. After that, the eyes would be empty. Lifeless. Dead. Looking back at the one who killed them in an endless gaze.

Always, my face would be the one the dead ones saw.

Except this time, it wasn't a dream. And it wasn't me.

There, standing in the centre of it all, was the one who did this. Our companions, our _friends_, laid dead before his feet. Only I remained, given the awful privilege to witness his atrocious deed on purpose.

He turned to face me once his sword was freed from the limp body of our former ally. Droplets of fresh blood dripped from the blade he held in his left, glowing hand. His green clothes and sickly pale skin were stained red. His blond hair, a dull yellow speckled with crimson, partially covered his eyes. His eyes – no longer were they the innocent sapphire blue I remembered but a wicked ruby red. Those eyes, void of any human sanity, bore right through me with a lustful glare. A sneer most malevolent soon accompanied his crimson gaze as he took pleasure at my trembling form.

I was deeply afraid and I could not hide it. The boy standing before me had become what I had dreaded to become myself. It was ironic in a sick, twisted way to see _him_, the annoying stupid bratty kid who was always smiling and joking, turn into a heartless blood-thirsty murderer.

It was damn awfully ironic as well for me. He had taken my place. I should have lost my will to the evil shard. I should have killed them mercilessly. Not him. Not the boy who never willingly harmed the others.

He was the one who always believed that good triumphed over evil…

But alas… fate had been cruel.

He was chosen instead of me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I tried to gather my wits to speak. But his eyes, they were fierce, stopping my mouth from forming any coherent words. Instead, I managed to whimper. It was a sound that brought a malicious laughter to break the awful silence between us.

He came towards me slowly, enjoying my pitiful sight. I trembled with fear with my eyes going wide and my breath shortening with each step he took. I knew what was coming… I could clearly see my fate before me.

I was injured; suffering from an ugly gash down the back of my left leg from his sudden attack when this all started. I had tried to stop him; I had urged myself to fight him when he fought the others but I was too shocked to move. I did not feel anger nor had the motivation to fight back when I realized what he done…

I had simply collapsed in both pain and surprise then watched in horror at the nightmare that played before my eyes.

Biting back the anguish cry that wished to escape my throat, I bared my teeth at the approaching figure. I was mostly angry at myself and not him for I knew that I could have prevented this from happening. It was my own weakness that had caused him to grab the cursed fragment away from me. And now he held it… its salient edge pierced deep into his right palm; embedded into flesh and corrupting his body. If only I had listened to him earlier and had drawn the sword…

The holy sword… I held it in my grasp, leaning heavily on it. The blade was flickering sporadically in an angry manner as if trying to break the spell befallen on its master. The layered hilt was warm under my hands and soon it would be at an unbearable heat.

Quietly, I begged the sword to lend me its power. I prayed for it to give me strength.

It did not heed me. I was not its master after all. It continued to reach out for its true master, wishing to free him from the hold of evil.

It was futile, however. Its master hardly seemed fazed in its holy presence when he stopped before me, his blood-stained form radiating the darkest aura I had ever sensed.

How could this be?

How could a single fragment of the Evil Seed transform him into such a demon? Surely, the power of his own sword would be able to repel the curse from his body, should it not?

Was it the odd glow on the back of his left hand that gave him such power? Three glowing triangles, with one brighter than the others, together in unity… It was a familiar symbol but I had never seen it on his hand before. Not once had he ever mentioned anything about it. Most likely, he had been _hiding _it, leaving all of us unaware of the power he truly held.

I felt horribly betrayed.

My trust for him had long since shattered when I witnessed his destructive power against our dear friends. Hatred soon found its place within me when I locked eyes with him. The need for vengeance coursed through my mind and soul as I deepened my stare into a hateful scowl.

His expression became amused when he saw the change in me. The light of the holy sword in my hand danced upon his face in one last futile attempt to free him. Crimson orbs narrowed as a wicked smile played over his childish features. It was no good – the sword was too late to save its master and in an instant, the light died away taking its power with it.

All that was left was an ordinary dull blade.

I stood frozen in shock at the disappearance of my only chance to fight. And in that instant, I felt the sudden chill of the evil coming from him surround me like a poisonous cloud. The air was suffocating with the tremendous dark aura emanating from him that I could hardly breathe.

Soon, I felt _it_ – the inner demon lurking inside me stirring out of its slumber. The stench of blood became immense, drawing out the temptations I deeply held. I let out a loathsome snarl for I was extremely agitated by his close presence.

I hated him.

I despised him.

I wanted to kill him.

He had power that did not belong to him.

It should solely be mine!

How _dare_ he touch it!

I demanded him to return it to me. He only smiled, red-eyes flashing with hidden intent.

It was then that he chose to come at me with his blood-streaked sword pointed right at my chest. His smile became a deadly sneer and his eyes shone with a killing desire as he charged with inhuman speed.

My body shook from anticipation, willing to follow the urge to use the dead sword in my hands to kill him and take his power away from him.

I almost did, however something within my human consciousness slightly drew my attention.

'_Resist…_'

Time slowed to a near stop when I heard the tiny voice whisper from seemingly in front of me. I could have assumed it was an apparition of sorts or a strange trick of my sanity but none of those thoughts came by me as I hardened my gaze at the slow moving form of the other.

I hesitated in that moment despite the powerful desire that controlled my motions. I _wanted_ the power the other possessed and yet another part of me did not; the part that defied the cursed existence that lived within me.

The demon that shared my will, my mind, my soul… It was the demon that became _me_ whom sought power and destruction from the world.

Like an eternal prison I was trapped within the nightmare of the demon. Long had I sought after the freedom I had gained after that one fateful encounter years ago. And long had I sought after the freedom I had gained once again just mere months ago.

I did not wish to return to that prison; I did not wish to seek for freedom once again.

Time resumed back to normal. I held against the temptation to throw myself carelessly into a blinding rage by furiously biting into my lower lip, drawing the taste of blood. That, however, made resisting ever more difficult.

But then I felt it… the hilt under my hand had burned with sudden heat and a blinding light soon accompanied it as the sword's power returned anew.

The heat did not harm me much to my surprise. In fact, it vanquished the dark aura that was choking me and silenced the lustful thoughts that ran through my mind. It was highly unexpected but I knew it was a sign from the sword that its power was now bestowed upon me.

In one fleeting moment, I freed the sword swiftly from the ground just in time to block the bloody sword from reaching my heart. The sound of two swords clashing rang loudly through my ears as I shielded the blow. The impact pained my wounded leg and knocked me off balance.

Cringing, I heavily fell on one knee while he leapt away, his red eyes wide with surprise from the sight of the brilliantly glowing sword in my hands. His joy was replaced by an angry glower. He let out a snarl and bared his fangs in utter contempt.

I could not help but grin through the pain to finally see disdain fall on his damn, heartless expression. I even laughed, drawing a deep growl from him as he prepared another attack.

I didn't move. I needed to wait.

I feinted my being too weak to fight back to allow my only opportunity to get him. The drumming of my heart sounded in my ears as I fatefully watched him charge at me with killing intent.

My grip on the warm hilt tightened when he was close enough. He leapt high into the air for a powerful downward slash while I threw all my weight forward into a goddamn painful roll.

After clumsily rising to my feet I screamed in both pain and anger as I twisted myself around with all my strength in hopes of landing a counterattack with my swing.

The tip of my sword struck where he landed. At first, I thought I had gotten him but I soon heard the shattering of glass followed by an amazing spectacle of shimmering blue shards scattering as my blade cleanly sliced into, what I could only assume, a magical crystal barrier – something that only he could conjure up. As quickly as I saw them, the shards disappeared. Then I hit flesh. The sword cut deeply into his left shoulder and across his upper back.

He flew sideways with an anguished howl and landed a fair distant away onto his front.

Unable to stop the momentum from my attack, I completely spun around and ended up shifting most of my weight onto my injured leg. I merely allowed myself to fall. But of course, I landed right on _top_ of my injured leg.

I hissed through clenched teeth and breathlessly cursed in my own native tongue at the sheer torture I was putting myself through.

A cry brought me back into focus. I sucked in a quick breath and held it as I willed myself to get back up. I managed to only rise onto my elbow before seeing the one who injured me roll onto his side, trying to do the same.

His efforts failed him as he merely grunted in pain and shriveled into a pitiful fetal ball. He was obviously too wounded to fight despite how enraged he was. The sword I miraculously still held in my hands flickered, telling me that it wasn't over.

I hefted myself up with slow, careful movements but I still couldn't prevent the awful agony to course through my leg. For a brief moment I stood there, leaning against the sword once again as a wave of dizziness struck me. I was breathing heavily for my body was too exhausted from the amount of blood I lost.

My entire left leg seemed numb when I regained my senses. I simply gritted my teeth as I awkwardly made my way to the trembling boy. The holy sword in my hands felt heavier than before that had to drag it along the ground.

His eyes snapped open at the sound of my approach. Red eyes flared as his entire expression contorted with vile anger. It all soon vanished when he saw the glowing blade in my hands. A look of defeat settled upon his features as he remained still. It was unnerving to witness such a drastic change.

His eyes watched me intently as I lifted the sword over him. The blade wavered in my hands as I held it right above him for the finishing blow.

I held it there for an uncertain amount of time with it waving unsteadily in my grip as I stared down at his small form. I was hesitating and I knew it.

I was foolish. I truly was.

I had to end his life but I could not.

Memories held me back. My emotions got in the way.

I could only stand there with a terribly shaking sword in my hands over his head. The sheer weight tired my arms causing me to do the most regrettable thing: I lowered the sword despite its frantic flickering protest.

What happened next, I knew I would never forget, the boy bared his fangs into a vengeful grin as his body instantly glowed green. He disappeared in a flash as a gust of cold wind swept by.

I grunted in surprise and covered my face with one arm from the swirling debris the wind had picked up. I yelled a curse at his sudden move but was too late to do anything…

My right hand, the one that held onto the holy sword, became painfully hot with searing heat and before I knew what was happening, I saw the boy's hand, shrouded in magical fire, grip the wrist of my armour gauntlet. Then with an eruption of flames he blasted both gauntlet and sword away just as he forcefully pulled the gauntlet off of me. I didn't know where he shot the sword. I didn't see it fly. I was too occupied by the incredible pain I felt.

I screamed when my hand burned from the intense heat. I didn't know why he chose _not_ to blast my arm directly and I probably would never find out.

Through idiocy, I had forgotten about him and focused only on my scorched hand. It was burnt black on each fingertip and knuckle while an ugly raw red everywhere else from hand to forearm.

Then something rammed into my wounded leg, making me buckle over with a loud cry. Both my leg and hand were hurting like _hell_. And a sudden kick to my side added to my misery.

I fell on my back, gasping between pained moans as I laid in a terrible mess. A weight was pressed down on my chest and then something sharp dug into my left shoulder. The chill I felt earlier suddenly returned, seeping into my shoulder and through my body like poison.

Blinking through tears, I saw him smiling down on me, his crimson eyes gleaming. For the first time since his transformation, he spoke, his voice slightly harsh:

"You chose not to kill me so I shall return the favour." He leaned in close, his face a mere inch from mine. All I could see were his blood-red orbs. "Awaken, my brother."

I froze from his words. I realized what he was doing and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

My body would not move. I was completely paralyzed from the creeping chill of the darkness.

The holy sword was gone.

My hope was gone.

I had lost…

The evil had won.

So it was not always true that good would triumph over evil…

How sad…

My vision blurred when the coldness reached my head. I felt nauseous and dizzy. Those red orbs I had been looking at vanished as blackness consumed me. But before I fully fell out of consciousness, I formed a small smile of my own.

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A/N: As I was working on my next update, this story came to mind. Two evil, little children are left to torment the world. A little unexpected, don't you think? I think it would make a nice plot twist! Aha, just kidding. 

Edit: Usually a person who is infected with the Evil Seed becomes berserk and goes on a killing rampage. That person cannot be stopped until he/she is killed, counter-acted by an opposing energy force or afflicted by Soul Edge itself or its dark energy. For Link, his Triforce prevents him from losing complete control of his mind when the Evil Seed overtakes his body. Instead, his mind becomes twisted and the evil shard's desires become his. It's much like how Siegfried falls under the control of Soul Edge's fragments!

Anyway, I'll have _Through Time and Back_ updated probably next week! Or the week after. Whatever the case, it will be soon! And, I might post another short story before then...

Apparently, mummies and dragons seem to exist in the Soul Calibur realm, evident from the beautiful artworks for the new game Soul Calibur Legends. How intriguing.


	4. The Demon Under the Heavens

A/N: Here's a little something that's _not_ related to my other SC fic. Enjoy!

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**The Demon Under the Heavens**

Rating: K

_Our time is endless. __The Gods can only watch as the world slowly crumbles into chaos._

* * *

He stood atop the moonlit hill, peering up into the heavens in an aspiring gaze. It was a rare moment in time where his soul felt no need for any chaos – a moment's rest to lay his hatred aside and breathe without calamity. 

A quiet, windless night. Cloudless too. Even those infernal crickets were not making any noise.

It was too atrociously peaceful for his liking and yet he had an inner desire to gawk at the sky like a star-gazing fool. Hmph, only his human half would ever want to waste time pointlessly staring into space.

Nonetheless, he was already doing it. Suffice to say, he didn't really dread it. It was a change of pace from his constant search for human souls to feed Soul Edge. The sword was waiting, its blade sunken into earth to hold it. The yellow eye watched him in silence, its hunger quite satisfied for the time being. Just an hour ago, Nightmare had slaughtered a fine group of bandits foolhardy enough to cross paths with the demon.

Stupid and relentless, that's how they were. Nightmare made short work of them in a matter of seconds. The blood of their pathetic bodies painted the forest ground crimson. Severed limbs were scattered throughout the massacre. And their ugly faces – the best part – were all horribly twisted with pain and fear.

Ah, it was another beautiful piece of work. It was unfortunate that no one would be able to see his craftsmanship since the thieves were killed in the unknown parts of the forest.

Just thinking about it made him want to continue on. Idling here on this hill was a damn waste of time. Why, he could be finding more bandits to kill!

He glanced over at Soul Edge with impatience.

The eye gleamed with a smile, knowing full well how the demon was feeling.

**Restless, aren't we?**

Nightmare scoffed. "Hmph, what's the point in this?" he questioned, gesturing to the awfully peaceful surroundings with his clawed arm.

**A simple reward. You've done well in the past year and so I give you this time for yourself.**

"'_Reward_'?" the demon nearly spat. Nightmare laughed. "_This_ is what you consider a _reward_? I'd rather go off and kill a few more wretches than sit here wasting time."

**A rare night, do you not agree? Savour the peace. Enjoy the silence. Come dawn we shall resume our path.**

Red eyes narrowed in frustration. Soul Edge blinked, its stare reflecting a sense of amusement before focusing to the sky above. Nightmare wordlessly followed.

The millions of twinkling lights high above blanketed the darkness with their brilliance. An amazing spectacle that held many mysterious waited up there. The full moon out-shone the numerous stars; casting a soft luminous glow on the demon's dark armour.

"This is redundant," Nightmare lowly growled but did not further protest. He heaved a sigh and propped down to the ground in a sitting position, leaning against the sword with his back like how he often did when he grew tired from continuous hours of soul hunting. He could feel the heat of the fleshy blade against his skin and the throbbing of its pulse.

**Sometimes the most redundant thing is the most satisfying.**

"Thoughts of the last soul still linger?" the demon questioned, assuming Soul Edge's odd behaviour was caused by the last thief he murdered. "Really, humans are foolish."

**My child, do not consider the humans worthless beings. You have long forgotten the values of the human race. **

The dark knight shrugged his shoulders, not giving a care.

Deep laughter resounded from the sword. **Humans give birth to greed, hatred, pain… but also love. **

"Why does a bandit think of love?" Nightmare muttered mostly to himself.

**They are the most unique of beings. Assuming many forms, man is considered the dominant species.**

A disgusted growl followed soon after. "They are nothing but weaklings."

**You underestimate your own kind – **Nightmare physically cringed **– for the human soul is the strongest, most **_**delicious**_** energy to consume. When raised well, those weaklings become superior beings.**

The dark knight could sense the creeping sneer coming from Soul Edge's wicked eye. There was something that the sword wanted to add but it did not say and he could very well predict what it was.

He had been human once before and it was infuriating to recall how pathetic he once was in his past life:

Weak.

Useless.

Shameful.

His human life was that of misery.

There were no regrets when he had obtained the sword of legend, Soul Edge. It had granted him power most unimaginable and a promise to his deepest desire. Although it had transformed him completely, he was absolutely grateful to rid his weak self on that day.

Nightmare cast a sideways glare at the blade, seeing the yellow eye narrowed slightly at him.

**The weak will remain weak from their own ill doing but the strong ones; their souls burn fierce with living energy – it is those souls that we must search for.**

"Then why must we idle here like fools?" the demon countered, thoroughly irritated from the lack of action.

**Must I repeat? The night is perfect to watch the heavens and mock the Gods. Look at how powerless they are, my child. They cannot but send messengers to destroy me. Now savour this moment where we bask under their skies.**

"I feel like an idiot."

**A taunting gesture.**

"It does not feel like I'm taunting anything."

Nightmare could sense the sword's patience thin by the increased heat against his back. Aware of the consequences that waited for him, he quickly relaxed his body to show that he was not willing to protest any longer. "Ah, but I do enjoy the stillness of the night," he lied. "It's as if everything died in our presence. How extraordinary."

Of course, he was incapable of lying to Soul Edge. The sword ignored it however and took it as a satisfied answer.

The dead silence hung in the air and both demon and sword said nothing as they gazed at the stars. A strange sense of tranquility overcame the demon's restlessness as the night slowly passed.

Feathered wings flapping sounded from afar. It drew near in second's time. What came into their presence was a crow. It was not an ordinary crow – it was a special crow. The bird cawed as it landed upon the hilt of Soul Edge, its glowing red eyes staring down at the demon knight.

Nightmare was pleased to see the dark bird accompany him. "What have you brought?" he questioned as he lifted his human palm towards it, expecting a "gift" upon its arrival. The crow slightly tilted its head, staring. "Nothing?" the demon murmured, although he was not angry. "Then glad of you to join me on this dreadfully quiet night. We shall both be fools and watch the stars."

The bird cawed curiously.

"A damn peaceful night, don't you agree? It's as if I had yearned for this kind of opportunity all my life… Hmph, what am I saying? My human emotions are interfering." Nightmare muttered the last part under his breath. He breathed a deep sigh then raised his arm to the crow to allow it to hop onto him.

The bird settled onto his deformed shoulder, its talons digging into his tough skin. Nightmare sneered at how ridiculous he must have appeared if there were any spectators nearby. The thought really made him recall the feeling of embarrassment.

"Fools, indeed," he spoke to his feathered companion. "If anyone stumbles upon us, I will kill them." With that he fell silent as he watched the heavens, waiting calmly for dawn to arrive.

* * *

A/N: Oh, the crow. I love the nameless bird of evil. A perfect messenger for Nightmare.

So how did you all enjoy this? Did I (somewhat) capture Nightmare's character despite the odd situation he's gotten into? Tell me what you think!


	5. The First Day of Five

A/N: Yeah, it's another TTaB add-on one-shot! Some of you may probably consider these as fillers, and yes, that is what they are if I had included them to the actual story. This time it's a little different. I miss having the Korean pair around, they were pretty fun to write, so I came up with this. So far, I have written from all of the main characters' perspectives but I've never written from Yunsung's. So, I've taken it farther, and instead wrote this in his point of view! Hopefully, I captured his character to all of your expectations. Soul Emblem, this is sort of for you since you keep wondering when the Korean pair would show up. Well, their absence cannot be explained as of yet but hopefully their presence here would suffice for now.

This takes place before Chapter 12. You all know the drill - find any errors and report back to me!

Now enjoy!

* * *

**The First Day of Five**

Rating: K+

_The seven of us together... we are to journey as one. _

* * *

Everything was hardly going as smoothly as I hoped it would go. We had five days to prepare for our journey to the East. (How far East, I had no clue.) Five_ unnecessary_ days, damn it. We could all practically be ready this morning! Why, I was ready to get moving! I didn't care to wait for the rest of them. I wanted to leave on my own. 

But no.

That damn woman eating breakfast across from me wouldn't allow me to go. Having eaten my meal wordlessly and angrily, I was first to finish. And now I sat; one leg up on my chair, left arm propped over that raised knee, with my right elbow on the table, chin upon my knuckles and my eyes glaring straight forward at the girl.

She ate quietly, ignoring my grumpy mood. I had nothing to say to her. Even if I did, she'd smack me right up like she did this morning.

Ugh, why did she have to go out and _find_ me?! I was doing fine on my own; I had a good lead and all. I didn't need _her_ to come and ruin everything by placing guilt on my conscience… and worry… for her safety. I solely left so she wouldn't get involved…

Stupid girl.

"Yunsung," she finally spoke, addressing me slowly with a slightly raised eyebrow, "You're not busy today are you? Oh, of course not! Then you can help me buy some supplies."

I cringed horridly at her sarcastic, forceful tone. Biting my tongue, I refrained myself from muttering anything that could offend her. Instead, I gave her a reply that was evenly sarcastic and forceful; "Well, since we have_ five_ freaking days to spend in Athens, I don't see why not. Hell, why don't we go sight seeing too, hm?"

Seung Mina twitched her one eyebrow even higher. "That sounds lovely," she returned, her face forming a snide grin. "Since you're going to be _bored_ out of your mind it'll be nice to look around the city."

I growled at her. "You know I'm being sarcastic," I had to say.

She sullenly smiled. "Oh, I know, Yunsung." Then her expression became stern. "But I'm not. We're going to do a little shopping. So get ready. I'll meet you downstairs."

She took the empty bowls on the table and placed them onto the wooden tray. I brushed a hand through my hair and sighed. "We got five days! What's the rush, huh? You can hardly walk, remember?"

The girl snorted, one hand holding the tray up while the other hand was placed on her hip. "Athens is pretty big. Or have you not noticed that yet?" I scowled at her stupid question. "We're not going to buy everything at once. We're going to check out each district over the next few days to see if there's anything interesting and useful to buy. And I'm feeling perfectly fine. I can walk with no problem."

Hah! 'No problem'? I could see that limp in her stride easily. She was a persistent one, however. She wouldn't let a few wounds slow her down.

I rubbed my face with my hands as I let out a groan.

Great. Five days of shopping with the annoying woman… She was going to use me as a damn mule to carry all her junk just like how she did when she first found me. 'Punishment for running away', as she called it.

I groaned again.

She smirked. "See you downstairs, Yunsung. And you better not run off or skip out. If you do…" She formed a fist and tightly shook it in my direction.

A glare was my only response. She turned around and left my room.

I remained sitting in my chair, fuming angrily at the empty space where that woman was standing a moment ago.

I didn't want to move. Just thinking about the awful trip to the city's busiest markets made me feel miserable. My first thought was to jump out the window and hide away but no, that wouldn't work. That Japanese ninja woman would know where I'd be hiding. (She was damn good at tracking people… and very intimidating. A ninja _and_ a demon huntress?! Very scary. I was always afraid of her when she was around and truthfully, I was greatly relieved that she was not staying at the same inn as us. Her presence was more frightening than an angry Master and an angry Seung Mina _combined_. I wanted to avoid any confrontation with the red-clad huntress if possible.)

Then my second thought went back to what Seung Mina had said earlier. She was right that I would be bored hanging around the inn all day. I wouldn't be alone though… those _brats_ were here too.

One of them, I hated deeply. The older one – the _demon_ one – the one that attacked Mina that day: I really hated him. Just the sight of him made me want to _kill_ him. I had tried to yesterday, but… Hell, I did not know why I couldn't do it. My sword was against his throat and he even _allowed_ me to do it… yet, I could not. I did not have the guts to do it because... he was just a kid.

A very good disguise, I hated to admit. Everyone knew _what_ he was but none of them were against him because of his appearance.

I angrily sighed at the memory then stomped my foot down to rise out of my chair. Not wanting to think about anything at the moment, I mindlessly gathered a few things required for shopping with Seung Mina. Namely, my bag of gold.

No, on second thought, I took out a few gold pieces and hid the bag under all my belongings I piled in a corner. Knowing that woman, she would probably purposely 'forget' to bring gold with her.

I pocketed the glimmering pieces into my pocket then put on my shoes. It was a sunny, warm morning; I didn't need anything else. So with my room key in hand, I locked the door and closed it shut.

Down the stairs I went with not much of a thought. But then, before I reached the last step, I stopped immediately when I saw the boy sitting around one of the eating tables near the kitchen lobby, closest to the stairs. It was slightly noisy with a few people loitering around, smoking pipes, eating or chatting.

It was the younger one, the kid I didn't really mind despite his odd appearance and weird powers. Hiding under his cloak as usual, the kid was looking pretty bored sitting alone. I had to be careful though, the kid and the other brat were always together; when there was one, the other wouldn't be far behind.

He saw me shortly after my descent down the last step and waved with a childish smile. "Hey, Yunsung," the kid greeted.

Hesitantly, I slowly walked over to him, keeping my eyes peeled for a certain demon-brat. I didn't see the other kid so I propped myself against the wall beside the table.

"Why are you still here?" I asked, bringing my arms behind my head to get more comfortable. "I thought you guys left already."

The little kid sighed and leaned back against his chair. "We're just waiting," he answered.

"For what?"

"For Siegfried to get ready." I silently cursed that name. "I made him come along."

I snorted and noticed the kid watching my reaction. He blinked and looked away but then his blue eyes returned with a whole different expression. "Hey, Yunsung," he began, his tone high and eager, "Want to spar with me later today? I've been practicing!"

Well, that was totally unexpected.

I raised an eyebrow at him and brought my arms down to cross my arms. "Heh. Again? A little practice won't do you any good, kid," I told him plainly.

The kid wasn't disappointed, however. "You'll never know." His smile became mischievous. "You haven't seen all my sword skills yet! I'll borrow Sophitia's or Cassandra's shield then you'll see how effective I am with both a sword and shield in hand."

I sneered at his challenge. "Yeah, sure," I replied sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. "I'd like to see that but you know what? I'm stuck with Seung Mina all day."

"How about tomorrow?"

I shrugged and opened my mouth to say "maybe" but I immediately closed it when I heard heavy, metal footsteps coming down the stairs. There was only one person in the inn that could produce that sound – one armoured little demon-brat.

Instantly, our eyes met and both of us narrowed them to mere slits. The air between us became thick with our utmost hate for one another. The whole conversation I had with the other kid was soon forgotten.

The brat bared his teeth at me and I did the same to him.

"Still here?" the damn brat spat, crossing his unevenly armoured arms. "I thought you would have run off by now."

I gritted my teeth. "And leave Seung Mina with the likes of _you_?" I returned evenly. "You know I'm coming along. I'll be keeping my eye on you, demon-brat."

Yeah, it was completely different than what I had in mind earlier today. My thoughts of wanting to travel alone completely vanished as I assured myself to stick to my spoken words. I sneered at the stupid long-haired kid.

"Do whatever you like, you annoying pest. You won't last long anyway," he countered with a malicious smirk. He made his way down as I growled at him.

"Of course not – not in the presence of a damn _demon_-brat. Why, if I turned around, you'd probably stab me in the back or something, right? Or lunge at me for no goddamn reason! Ain't I right?!"

The brat was highly infuriated by my angry claim and I didn't care. I was too mad at the damn kid to control anything that came out of mouth. A few people were staring at us oddly and neither of us paid any heed to them.

"_You_ –" was all he said before the younger kid stepped in.

"Uh, Siegfried! Sophitia's waiting! Let's go!" the cloaked boy cried out to stop the feud between us. He grabbed the demon-brat's arm and attempted to pull him away from me.

The damn long-haired brat stayed his ground, his green eyes fixed upon mine in a deep scowl. I was not fazed by his childish face, distorted with hate. And with that scar down his right eye, he looked like a vicious punk bandit ready to kill.

"Come on! Don't make her wait!" the other boy urged, tugging the brat's arm.

Snarling, the demon-brat spun around sharply, nearly throwing the little kid to the side, and stomped off. I heard him mumble a curse directed at me and I returned the favour.

The other kid gave me one last glance with a heavy sigh before disappearing out the door along with the older brat.

"Hmph!" I snorted loudly, dropping myself into the chair the little kid once occupied. I was all riled up because of that stupid punk that I wanted to break something. I restrained myself from knocking the table over in fury and instead sat still like a fuming idiot.

That damn, stupid runt… I couldn't stand him! And damn it all, I had to travel with him!

I didn't know how long I sat there, seething. Seung Mina seemingly appeared out of nowhere when I felt her muss up my hair. I had been lost in my anger for that damn brat that I didn't notice her approach. "Hey! Don't do that!" I barked at her.

She cocked her head to the side and gave me a sullen look. "You were sulking so bad that I had to snap you out of it," she said all-so-innocently. Then she furrowed her brow. "Another argument, I'm assuming?"

I flinched and abruptly turned my head away to hide the burning hotness in my cheeks. "You didn't hear it, did you?" I asked carefully. I didn't want her to know that I actually _cared_ for her… It was too embarrassing.

"No, I didn't," she answered, her tone disapproving. I was relieved, however. "I really wish you two could get along."

"Why, Seung Mina?" I questioned harshly, turning to face her. I was far from being embarrassed now. "He hurt you –"

"It was an accident. Try to understand that."

I shook my head angrily. "You can't _accidentally _attack someone, Mina."

"Yunsung," she softly began as she slipped into the chair opposite of mine. "He truly regrets it. You've heard what he said."

"I don't freaking care how he feels. He's dangerous and I don't trust him." I looked away from her and loudly added: "You shouldn't either."

She deeply sighed. "Yunsung, you just have to get to know him more."

I snorted sharply at that comment. "You're out of your mind."

"I'm being truthful." She lowered her voice so only I could hear. "Siegfried_ used_ to be Nightmare. You know the stories, right? You know what Nightmare was capable of. Now look at Siegfried. He's just a _boy_ now. He's not evil, Yunsung."

I rolled my eyes. "It's a disguise. He's pretending to be weak."

She groaned in frustration. "He's _not_ pretending."

"How can you be so sure? He _used_ to be Nightmare, remember? And that means he could still _be_ Nightmare if he wanted to."

"Why don't you ask him yourself about that?"

I blinked in utter surprise. Didn't she know already that I _hated_ talking to him?

"And why would I want to do that?" I inquired stubbornly.

"To know the truth," she answered in a low, firm tone. "It seems you have yet to discover it yourself."

I gave her a quick, angry glance from the side and huffed. "I don't need to."

She breathed deeply, resting both arms on the table top in a serious-like manner. "Oh, will you stop being so simple-minded?" she whispered in quiet voice as if speaking her thoughts out loud.

"What do you mean by that?" I snapped, glaring at her. She wasn't looking at me but appeared to stare off at nothing particular.

There was short pause before Seung Mina shook her head. "Never mind. I didn't say anything," she blatantly lied. I knew she didn't want to continue on with the conversation. Neither did I.

I growled and said nothing. I cast my glare at the table before me, boring holes into the wood.

She quietly sighed after a moment of silence. She then got out of her seat. "Hey," she spoke up, patting my mess of hair. "Ready to go?"

I swatted her hand away, sighed and rubbed my face. "Yeah," I grumbled. "Let's make this quick."

I heard her smirk as she bent down to tighten her boot lace. "You know," she began as if we didn't have that awful discussion, "shopping's not a 'quick' thing, Yunsung. Especially not in a big city. It has to take at least two hours. Maybe four to find everything we need."

"_What_ exactly do we need?" I questioned sullenly, watching her rise. "We only need food and it's most reasonable to buy it on the _last_ day we leave!" Her sudden change in subject made me forget about the demon-brat for the moment. (I was grateful for that.)

She 'tsk-ed' me as she waved a finger in my face. "You're right about food but we're not looking for food. We need to check out the local medicines. You'll never know what kind of sickness you could get out here. Also," she lowered her eyes to her body. "I want to try out some new clothes." (Ugh, great… there she goes…) "Athenian garbs are very beautiful. I want to bring some home!"

I could only groan at the mention of her wanting to clothes shop. Seung Mina wasn't really the type of girl who enjoyed shopping for clothes because she was, well… from my point of view, she was a boyish girl. (She would rather fight in the dojo than spend time in her dressing room.) She did have a fondness for exotic clothing though and would spend long periods of time gawking at them – making sure to pick the _perfect_ one.

I shivered at the moments yet to come. It was going to be a long, painful day.

Really, nothing was going as smooth as I wanted it to be…

It was that stupid demon-brat's fault.

But mostly stupid, annoying _Seung Mina's_ fault

I should've jumped out the window when I had the chance.

* * *

A/N: Did you all enjoy it? I hope I captured both Yunsung's and Seung Mina's character accordingly because I never really portrayed their characters much in TTaB. You know, I might consider doing the other four days from other characters' perspectives if anyone is interested... Aha. I should consider changing the summary too... 

Well, until the next update, take care!

Edit: I've changed the summary, hopefully for the better. I forgot to mention that I have a few new drawings up on my Homepage - the Elite Lizardman and Link's current situation. Check them out!


	6. Something History Forgot

A/N: Hello everyone. This short story is something Highwayman Myth had written in his time for me so many, _many_ thanks to him! Please enjoy!

(And... I'm sorry Myth, I did some editing for I could not resist... Just a little - not too much!) If you see a stray question mark that seems so out of place, it is due to the FFnet's editing thing. (First missing spaces and now added question marks...) 

* * *

_Something History Forgot_

_By Highwayman Myth_

* * *

In Athens, Greece in the year 2007, the secret government organization S-Guard was checking out a ruin of Eurydice Shrine. The organization, S-Guard was started during World War II to protect humanity from the supernatural, paranormal, and the occult. Because of Hitler's interest in the occult, S-Guard was formed.

Back to our current story, for some odd reason the paranormal reading there increased in a month's time. One of the agents, a young man by the name of Carter Nick McNoil, found something strange. There was a spot on the floor that looked like someone stabbed it with a sword. 

"Hey Andrew, check this out!" he yelled.

The young British man heard the call and came over with a scanning device. According to the scanner, the readings from the spot were off the charts. But one thing about it baffled Andrew Gunn: the readings said it wasn't evil energy. Whatever stabbed the floor was a holy object.

"I don't bloody understand; how could this energy be holy? Things that usually give this much paranormal energy are bloody evil," he said, complaining.

This baffled Carter as well. He set his guitar case on the ground and opened it. Instead of a guitar, he kept his weapons and equipment in it. He took out one weapon in particular, a katana known as the Sword of Ghouls. It was once a neutral weapon. But it became evil when it was wielded by the ninja Hanzu over four hundred years ago. Carter ended up buying it at a Flea Market four hundred years after for the price of ten American dollars.

Carter was killed on Halloween the same year. It resurrected him almost one full year later and he got his vengeance on the three men who killed him. Death (a.k.a. the Grim Reaper) knew that the sword was too dangerous. So he made Carter a deal: Carter was to be the wielder until the sword calmed down and Death was to turn back time to before Carter was killed. Time was undone, but at a price. Carter was to remember killing those men in his dreams. But what Death didn't tell him was that the Sword of Ghouls chooses its wielder and the wielder it chose was Carter, which explains why it resurrected him in the first place.

Carter looked at the stab mark then at the Sword of Ghouls. He then put the sword in the stab mark. Despite the fact that whatever object stabbed it most likely had a wider blade he got a negative reaction. His sword surged and landed him unconscious.

"Gabe! Mina! He's unconscious!" Andrew yelled getting the attention of the other two at the ruin. He regretted not telling Carter not to do it.

Carter ended up being pulled out by helicopter. He was taken to a hospital in Athens. Mina Wantanabe, his girlfriend and fellow S-Guard agent stayed by his side. Carter was in a coma for a week, having the weirdest dream. In his dream, Death was telling him the story of how the stab mark got there. It was a story of two men turned back into boys when a holy sword and a demonic blade clashed. It was the story of Link of Hyrule and Siegfried Schtauffen.

* * *

A/N: Unbelievably, it took Myth months to complete this so do relay your thoughts and comments to him in either a review or pm. I'm sure he would greatly appreciate it! Why did it take so long? Here's what Myth has to say:

"There are many reasons that it took me so long to do this one short story. For starters, when I first sent it to Icy Cake, she told me that I needed to explain more. The problem is that I've had too many distractions (excluding the shiny things), like planning for my other fics. One day, I finally decided to get my lazy ass on the ball and I finally finished it. When Icy Cake asked if I wanted to add more, I told her that I didn't want her to wait a few more months. So I apologize to all of you that it took so long for one short story.

The characters I used: Carter Nick McNoil, Andrew Gunn, Mina Wantanabe, and Gabe McNoil are all original characters from my non-fanfictional works. Well... Gabe I originally created for a web comic that never came to be and Mina was from a videogame I planned on making when my main goal in life was to be a videogame designer. Eventually they became part of my other fictions. The Sword of Ghouls was something from a Halloween short story with the same name that I did in Highschool. That was also Carter Nick's first appearance in my works. Originally, he went to the afterlife and his girlfriend at the time Ann committed suicide. But when I decided to do a Legend of Zelda fanfic for another site, I had a hard time coming up with a main character. So I un-killed Carter Nick and used him. The story that started it all (The Sword of Ghouls) can be found on my DeviantArt page at my homepage where it's posted by itself."

There you go, everyone. An explanation and some background info! Ah, I like shiny things... Anyway, thanks again for writing this, Myth! 


	7. The Second Day of Five

A/N: Having played SCIV at a friend's, I took notice to something that I hardly paid attention to before playing the game; boobs. Nearly every main female character has revealing outfits that show off their larger-than-life breasts. Hilarious, don't you think? They wear no bras and there is definitely no support - they should be sagging to the ground by gravity's laws. Ahaha. But of course, the law of video games makes them all perfect and bouncy.

So, after my 'keen' observation, this little scenario came up to mind! How would young Link and Siegfried react if they ever saw Sophitia wear her beautiful yet outrageous SCIV outfit?

Read and find out! Consider this as...

* * *

**The Second Day of Five**

Rating: K+

_The goddess of the heavens descends from the sky to dazzle the hearts of the men below with her profound beauty._

* * *

Sophitia Alexandra gazed upon herself in front of her bedroom mirror. Putting the final adjustments, she smiled with content at her overall appearance. At last, she looked perfect.

The beautiful silky white fabric hung loose around her body; caressing her soft skin. Holy armour crafted by none other than her lovely husband, Rothion, fit perfectly well with her clothing. Truly, her attire befitted that of a goddess.

Set to depart, Sophitia gave one last look at her reflection before heading out the bedroom door. "Patroklos, Prryha, are you two ready?" she called out as she entered the kitchen. Both her son and daughter had finished their morning meal and were down on the floor with their toys.

At the moment they saw her, the two children completely froze. Their eyes were wide and their mouth agape as they stared at their mother. Sophitia tilted her head slightly at their strange looks.

"Mama! You look like a goddess!" Prryha exclaimed with a joyous smile as she ran up to Sophitia with amazement clear in her eyes.

Smiling warmly, Sophitia gently brushed her hand through her daughter's light-coloured hair. "Thank you, Prryha. Now go put your shoes on." The little girl nodded and bounded towards the front door, passing her gawking brother. "Patroklos, go put your shoes on," Sophitia told the boy with a wave of her hand when he did not follow his sister.

Her son snapped out of his bewilderment and nodded. "Uh, okay…" he mumbled, sounding oddly timid.

Before she followed her children out the door, Sophitia made sure to grab a loaf of bread to give to her companions staying at a nearby inn.

As she walked through Athens, the first thing she noticed was all the eyes staring at her.

How very strange…

Awkward as it was, she passed every person that gaped at her and offered a small, polite smile in hopes of relinquishing the silent stares.

Perhaps Prryha was right that she _did_ appear to be a goddess! Her smile became bold. She strode behind her giggling children to show her strong devotion; ignoring the odd looks around her.

After dropping her children at her parent's bakery, (and ignoring her family's questionable stares), she excused herself, promising to return after running a small errand.

It felt even more awkward when she entered the inn her companions were staying at. Men eating at the tables would gaze at her in bafflement. Even the old innkeeper, whose eyes were normally small, were gawking at the woman with eyes so wide.

Lightly, she smiled at them; somewhat embarrassed by the sudden attention. She made a quick dash up the wooden stairs and down the hall to the room she knew. Once there, she breathed a sigh of relief and tapped gently against the door.

She heard movement on the other side before hearing "Yunsung? Is that you?"

"It is I, Sophitia," she announced, recognizing the voice of the young boy, Link.

"Oh! Come in! The door's open!"

With that, she turned the knob and stepped inside.

All activity in the room seemed to freeze in time when both Siegfried and Link gazed upon her figure. A quiver that was in Link's hands had noisily dropped to the floor, scattering arrows all over. The boy did not appear to notice as his entire attention was drawn on Sophitia.

Siegfried too had dropped something from his hands; a tin cup had clattered to the room floor and spilled its contents before his bare feet.

Eyes wide and jaws to the floor – the boys resembled her children. It was the exact same reaction! They were completely stunned.

Sophitia blinked in confusion before raising an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?" she asked them both.

"Uwah…" Link uttered, his face turning a deep shade of red. The boy turned his back towards her and cupped his hands over his mouth and nose.

Siegfried too became red in the face but he only turned his emerald eyes away from her. "S-Sophitia…" he stammered nervously, making the Athenian quirk her lips questionably. "You look… uh… lovely…"

His hesitant remark made her frown. She noticed Link trembling from where he stood. "Link, are you all right?" she asked in concern.

"Uh, I think my nose is bleeding," the boy replied in a muffled tone.

"Oh no, let me take a look," she offered to help.

However, when she took a step towards the boy in green, Link quickly shook his head. "No! It's okay!" he cried with a nervous giggle. "Just a little nosebleed, that's all!" Slowly, he peered over his shoulder at her and hastily looked away.

Before she could ask the young boy of his strange behaviour, Yunsung's voice cut in through the open door behind her: "Hey, kid, you ready yet?"

The redheaded Korean was barely through the door when he saw Sophitia present. Instantly, the young man stumbled back, crying something incoherent as he too stared at her like the others.

Sophitia pursed her lips and crossed her arms, tired of seeing that reaction. Then she overheard Link and Siegfried whispering together:

"They're so big…"

"Don't say that out loud, you idiot."

"Do all women in your world have them that big?"

"Well… I don't think…"

"Seung Mina's are pretty big too and Taki's sure are –"

"Shh! Don't let Taki hear you say that!"

"But she's not here…"

"She's a _ninja_. She can be anywhere. But you're quite right… They all are pretty big…"

Sophitia rolled her eyes as she sighed, finally understanding the situation she was in. She glanced down at her outfit with a more modest approach. So much of her skin and body was exposed, showing more of her figure than just her shape. Perhaps it was a little _too_ revealing now that she thought about it.

She couldn't help but giggle softly as she recalled the reactions of both her children and the males around her. Smirking, she faced the two boys behind her and immediately they straightened up, acting innocent on their own definite terms. Link sheepishly grinned while Siegfried brushed a hand through his blond hair. With their young faces flushed, both avoided looking at her.

"Yunsung, you okay?" Sophitia heard Seung Mina ask the young man as she appeared behind him.

The redhead shook his head and covered his nose, shifting his eyes away from Sophitia to his companion. "I got a nosebleed…" he murmured, to the girl who quirked an eyebrow at him.

Seung Mina was about to say something but her brown eyes soon found Sophitia in the room. "Oh my! Sophitia!" the young woman gasped, her eyes sparkling with admiration from the sight of the Athenian. She quickly strode towards the blonde and fingered the silky fabric of Sophitia's outfit. "You look so beautiful! What gorgeous design! No wonder it's a _hit_ with the boys. Eh, guys?" she teased the blushing males present in the room.

Seung Mina chuckled and Sophitia laughed along with her. But then, Seung Mina drew close and whispered into her ear, "A little too extreme, don't you think? They'll be too distracted by you if you wear that on our journey."

"I am now aware of that," Sophitia lowly returned, giving the other woman a sullen look. "I am just wearing it for today since it is brand new."

The Korean playfully nudged her in the side with her elbow. "Hey, you don't so happen to know where I can get something like that, do you?" Seung Mina asked out loud, making Yunsung gasp in what sounded like horror.

Seeing her friend wink, Sophitia played along with her. "Of course! I can show you where later today," she said with a happy smile.

"That's great! I can't wait to wear it!"

It was priceless – the looks both women received from the men in the room was something Sophitia would never forget.

She couldn't wait to see Rothion's reaction.

* * *

A/N: Oh my, would they ever be distracted if Sophitia had dressed that way throughout the journey... Lol.

I remember reading a few people's comments on some forums that they believe that SCV will have the girls completely naked. Or close to that. They're already getting there in SCIV so it could be possible! That will be outrageously absurd though...

Well, thanks for reading!


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